I can’t draw…or paint…or sculpt, or play a musical instrument for that matter; so photography is my creative outlet. I love it. I lived overseas for 20 years working in the aid and development sector. I often had to write monitoring and evaluation proposals for development projects and I quickly realised that a picture speaks a thousand words. It was far easier to portray what I was trying to say with an image. I visited one of our projects, borrowed a friends camera to document it and the love affair with photography began. That was 20 odd years ago and the joy of seeing a photograph I have taken in print has not left me.

I have lived in 7 countries with vastly different cultures. Photography gave me a creative way to document what I was seeing, what I was feeling and what I was experiencing. It is a fantastic record of my life.

I grew up in Kent but when I moved ‘home’ 4 years ago I wanted to be near family which meant moving to Devon because my mum had relocated here a few years prior to my return. I joined SPC within weeks of moving to Sidmouth. It is fantastic to be around like minded people. I love the friendliness of the club and the passion for photography within it. I have learnt so much about photography, been inspired by my fellow photographers and have been pushed outside of my photography comfort zone; I was truly honoured when I was asked to become the chairperson of SPC.